Excavators Doing Ballet!!

You probably never thought you would even see that sentence. The thought did not occur to me either until I watched it happen last Thursday night. I had been in the southern part of the country teaching and was headed towards home. Unfortunately the bridge was still under water - which was receding at least...but was also covered by a humongous log jam!

Once the water had gone down enough, calls were made and slowly machines started to appear and weave their way through the long, long lines of trucks and vehicles that were parked on both sides of the road, waiting for nature to allow us to continue. It had been an ALL DAY wait for some as the water had risen quickly in the morning, barely enabling the first bus of the morning to pass while the citrus truck right behind it was stopped!

Once in position, it was an amazing sight to me to see three excavators begin working to make the bridge passable again. One was digging rock from the river to fill in the hugs gap that had been washed away between the bridge and the shore. The other two positioned themselves on the bridge - and from opposite sides began to nip away at the log jam. Truly the log jam seemed to grow bigger once these massive machines got close to it. Entire trees were caught up in the firmly mashed entanglement.

It was a sight to behold as the operators of these mechanical creatures began their work. Dusk was settling in, and the lights from the long protracted arms scanned beautifully across the flowing waters or the river. I watched, as did everyone, as the large mouths attached to the end of the steel arms begin to bite away at the wooden mass blocking our way.

I realized at one point that the two men were in complete harmony and a beautiful sort of mechanized ballet was going on before me. I could almost hear the music in my mind as I observed each one, in synchronous motion, grab a bucketful of debris, swing to the opposite side of the river, dip slightly, drop their catch into the river and continue the arching movement to grab another chunk. I was surprised - and amazed and so glad, that these men had such skill. They were so good at what they did that it truly made it a joy to watch their work. The perfectly matched movements made this difficult work look so simple. The complete circles of the excavator arms brought about the wonder of this mechanical ballet! You should have seen it!

Now, maybe you think I had been sitting by the river watching the flood waters too long - maybe so. but truly, this was a moment of beauty in an otherwise challenging day. So, after much patience (what else would we do?!) we passed over the once flooded and completely blocked bridge at 10:00 pm, weary but happy to be on our way.

Thank You Lord for that moment - and for all the answered prayer of holding off the rain while the men and machines worked, and for keeping everyone safe in a rather complicated procedure, for keeping people safe as they hurriedly traveled home again (even the drunk ones!), for bringing out some of the starry host to encourage me while lightning flickered menancingly across the sky and dark clouds hovered low. Lord, thank You that you prompted me to pray these things, over and over, until the work was thoroughly completed. You are a great God, concerned for all the little moments in our lives!

Grateful for the 'ballet' and the "Conductor"!

~ Ray

Housework is NEVER done...!

I know it has been said and said again and again but I am finding out all over again how very true this really is!

Becki left last week to Rachel back to the U.S. and I am fending for myself. It's not too bad, although I really miss my wife! 

I am eating, although the food is not near as good as when my wife fixes it! 

I am cleaning, although probably not as neatly as my wife would do (don't tell her!)

I am washing the clothes and hanging them on the line (yep, outside air dried = cheaper!)

I am washing the dishes (how do they keep piling up like that? where do they come from?!)

I am feeding and bathing the dog (sometimes it is a spray off with the hose outside!)

I am finding out where some of the food is kept (and some I have not found...hmm....)

I did find a Snickers bar I bought for Becki which she did not eat...  :-)

I am keeping things basically in order, I think...my wife will let me know when she gets back!

In addition to all this everyday normal stuff, I am trying to keep up with ministry things, 

- a church plant that needs help

- an established church that needs help

- a Bible study that is learning to grow on its own (some)

- a ladies study in a new church plant area that wanted a visit

- prepping for the next class - reading the 250 plus pages and editing and copying and copying and copying and c o p y i n  g..... (sorry I dozed off!)

- teaching the other classes in between this

what? what is that in the kitchen...? a pile of dishes...?!

How? Where did they come from?!

I thought I already did the laundry - where did all these dirty clothes come from?!

Hey, there's a dust bunny over there....hmm, wonder if it has any friends?

Yeeesh! Apparently there's a whole colony of dust bunnies in here somewhere! 

They're everyWHERE!

ah - please don't tell my wife, I'll get this all in order before she gets back...

after all - she's not gonna be back for another 6 weeks!

So, if she's only been gone 1 week, how did all this happen so fast?

What are all those tools doing in the dining area? You know that's not where they go!

wait - who said that?!

hmm....I really miss my wife!

( psst - Hi Becki ! )

Ray

'Just leave it on all night'

Those that know me well, know that I am not a squeemish, girly girl type.  Nothing rattles me much and even scorpions get little more than a glance before the shoe comes smashing down.

Monday night tho, was a little over the top for me.  I actually shivered down to my toenails!!

Right now we are inundated with mosquitos...I mean, if you slap your arm or leg to kill one, you've hit 3 or 4 with one slight slap.  They are up your nose if you draw too strong of a breath, in your ears, biting through your clothes...you get the picture...they are THICK!

Well, Ray decides that the way to maybe keep them out of the house is to draw their attention away from the door.  So to that end, he decided to put our Flowtron Insect Killer on the ledge at the end of the porch, thus drawing the pests to the glowing light and their certain death.

Then he left to go to the south of Belize to teach for the week.  And he said  'just leave it on all night'.  I thot, well, okay...if that's what he wants.  Me, I would have unplugged it to save the electricity.  Well, I wish I would have gone for the economical plan.  But...

I woke up at 1:30am with the dog whining to go out...typical.  I open the front door and WHOA!!!!!!!!!!

It was a total invasion...not mosquitos tho!   There were quite literally hundreds and hundreds of beetles,  hundreds of moths - every shape and size - and a plethora of flying, crawling and walking insects.  The 'Flowtron' was completely covered  with bugs...with others waiting in line for their turned to be zapped...it was ghastly!  I froze, stunned at what had happened while I blistfully slept.

My first thought, 'Oh yeah, RAY, just leave it on all night'  Ugh!!  I was unable to even think about going near the plug to shut it down!!  GROSS.  Things I hadn't even seen before were buzzing about my face and I quickly called the dog, went in the house and locked the door.  I stood at the window just staring at what was happening on and around my front porch...speechless.

I went back to bed, but it took a loooonnngggggggg time for me to fall asleep.  I kept feeling things crawling on me that weren't there.  Skin crawling....  I now know what that sensation is!

The next morning, not much had changed.  Fewer things were flying about, but not one beetle had left the porch.  Some were dead, most were not.  They were in and on and on top of and stuck to everything!!  And some of the wounded moths were still hanging onto the walls while other smaller ones just fluttered around on the floor.  I did get the nerve up to get close enough to unplug the killer light, but it gave me the creeps!!  By afternoon, much of the mayhem had blown away, been carried away by industrious ants, or eaten by the dog.  I made a small attempt at sweeping them off the porch, but there were so many stuck to everything...even the bottom of the broom.  So I just walked away.

I haven't ventured to that end of the porch again... thinking,  I'll just save the rest of the clean up for Ray when he gets home tomorrow.  And I KNOW he'll want to clean out the 'Flowtron' for the next time he wants to 'just leave it on all night'!!

Shivers and love from Belize!!  Becki

A Simple Mistake...

Belarus - Belize - 

   Belize - Belarus - 

Both start with B - e - l ...

A quick glance might easily explain this.

Or it could have been one of those state of the art computer driven scanners at a post office somewhere - that sent some very important papers we were waiting to receive, on this 'around-the-world-tour'.

We had been waiting for birth certificates to arrive here. We had paid dearly for them and were eagerly expecting them. And we waited...

And we waited...

And we waited...

Multiple trips to the Post Office in Dangriga, asking if anything had arrived for us. Waiting while the very nice lady with a one leg seriously shorter than the other, shuffles her way to the back of the office to see if our hopes have been met. Smiling, we say 'thank you'.

We'll be back again in a couple days or so, whenever we decide to drive into town again.

This repeats itself for a week, then another, then another, then another...

By now, we believe that our birth certificates have been lost - or worse - have been stolen and could very easily be being used in some identity theft scheme.

Seriously - that has worried us.

Until today. 

Today we received the much awaited mail. Finally. 

Becki looked at the postal stamp on the back...could it really be?

Closer inspection proved what her nearly unbelieving eyes were seeing - 

M-i-n-s-k,        Belarus.

Belarus!!!???

Isn't that like the other side of the world?!?!?! Yes, it is.

This package had taken an adventurous journey - to another part of the world 

AND back again, all for $1.95

Now, that is a bargain, you can't find anywhere else!

Yep, life in Belize - or even in Belarus, never boring!!

Blessings from B-e-l-...umm, where are we again?!

~ Ray & Becki

Your Prayers Are Felt in Belize !

That's right - your prayers - from the U.S., from the Philippines, from Great Britain, from India, from Sri Lanka and other places around the world, are felt right here in Belize.

On a recent Sunday, we went to church. No, that is not the answer to prayer! 

This particular Sunday I really did not 'feel' like preaching. I just wanted to go be a part of the congregation, sit back, enjoy the service...you know, as more of a spectator.

The thing is, here in Belize, whenever I go to a church, I usually am asked to speak. It doesn't matter if I am prepared or not. It doesn't matter if I taught for 8 hours straight the 2 days before going to church. It doesn't matter if the heat has taken a toll on me and I am feeling a bit weary. 

None of that matters.

It does not even matter that I am not here in Belize to pastor, but to train pastors. No, what matters is my response when asked to preach that morning. I did not want to - I knew I did not want to  - but I smiled and said    "Yes."

Then I began praying...again. I had already begun this conversation with God, anticipating being asked to preach on a day when I felt like I had nothing to give. I had asked Him while driving to the church, "What could I say?" "What could I preach on today, to this congregation?"

Fortunately, two things were on my side:

    1) God knows the people in that congregation 

    2) and others were praying for me.

Without going into details, can I just give YOU a huge "Thank you!"

and give God the glory for what He accomplished that morning?!

I prayed right up until I stood up - then began to open up the small idea I had for a message.

It was then that I "felt" your prayers...

Seriously, even as Becki and I have "felt" your prayers before when in South Asia, I realized in those moments as a wonderful message came together, that this was not my doing. This was the clear result of others doing the real work while I was simply a mouthpiece.

Thank you ---- and Praise our Father in Heaven for how wonderfully He worked. The Spirit of Christ within me was able to serve the people that morning just what they needed.

How refreshing to be reminded that it is not about me. 

That there is a much greater force at work here than any of us fully realizes. 

    Much more powerful, 

              much more loving, 

                        much more directly connected to the hearts of the people, 

                                    much more able to do all that is needed...

in any moment, 

in any place,

in any fashion,

whether I feel like it or not.

Praise God!

And seriously - "Thank you" for your ongoing prayers.

Ephesians 6:18 says it well: 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

Ray & Becki

King Henry

Can you tell from a small seed how large the tree will become?

At times, we have an idea that the little seed will become something of great size or importance.

At times, we have no idea.

Last Monday night, I went to Hope Creek for the church service. 

We did NOT have a music leader.

We did NOT have much of a plan. (since the song leader decided last minute not to attend)

We did NOT even all speak the same language.

We did have one man closed his thumb in the truck door! Ouch!

We did have others fail to attend even though I drove several miles to go get them. Bummer.

We did have an accordion played by a man who only speaks Ketchi and Spanish.

We did have  a lady who led us in some singing, we even knew 'some' of the songs!

We did have a message, although not what I thought I had planned.

We did see fruit as God's Spirit stirred the people's hearts.

After the message, several questions were asked which helped to carry the point of the message into their hearts and minds more clearly. This encouraged me.

What encouraged me as well, was a man who was in church - for the first time ever. An alcoholic who is trying to turn his life around. Great start, my friend!

But even better than that was a 14 year old young man who came up to me with a simple question: "Pastor Ray, how can I become a Christian?"

Can you see the seed? Can you hear its potential?

I did. How exciting the next several minutes were as Henry and I talked. When it was clear that his desire was to begin this new life, I motioned for his mom to come join us. I explained what was happening with her son and asked if she thought there was any reason Henry should not do this. "No," she said, "he should do it."

Then I called for Henry's older sister to join us and filled her in on the rapidly developing moment in eternity.

Then, as I like to do, I had Henry pray first, telling God what was on his heart. Henry's first pray was beautiful. 

Heartfelt, honest, sincere...

I followed his words with my own while mom added her tears.

Afterwards we talked about mom's relationship with the Lord, "I''m trying to get there." she said. 

Henry's sister then asked some really good questions herself. Already a Christian, Sherry is wanting to grow, wanting to see her faith make a difference in some serious situations at home.

What a great night this turned out to be!!! As the angels in heaven rejoiced, I rejoiced as well on my drive home. Yes, several things had 'gone wrong'...but the one thing that mattered - went right - very, very right!

The next day I met Sherry and Henry at the new Internet Cafe in Hope Creek and taught them a little about using the computers. Henry decided his email name would be King Henry - 

later he sent this message to us:

"Last night I accepted Christ and I am happy."

Another Bar May Close Soon!

Tonight I went to go meet with 8 men who were supposed to come to have a chat about stopping their drinking habits. 

Did you guess that they did not show up - not a one. Not even the ones who shook my hands this afternoon and said they would be there. Such is the nature of addictions - we don't want to let them go - or they don't want to let us go.

I did talk to some folks who were in the bar - and listened in on conversations. It was interesting that at one point, the topic switched to it being Holy Thursday and where they should go to church! One woman did not care where, just any church and her husband had no interest at all. When a friend asked him what church he would want to go to when he died, he said he did not care. When the same man said, "What if you feel the heat?" The reluctant man said, "I'd get up and run!"

At that point I had to chime in, "It'd be just a little late then." Good natured laughter brought about a change of subject.

I did get to hand out a couple of papers with the 8 Recovery Principles from Celebrate Recovery. One man understood that if he stopped drinking it would affect Miss Gloria's business. What he did not know was that Miss Gloria, the owner of the bar, is the one who suggested that we have our meeting there!

Even after he left, I talked to Miss Gloria about making a choice that would honor God. 

She has 2 sons she is concerned about who drink too much. I suggested that maybe her sons think it is okay to drink since she sells liquor. She agreed, saying that she has been thinking about that very fact.

That is her part...

This is your part...

Miss Gloria is divorced, and cares for a 20 something daughter who is mentally challenged but sweet as can be! She smiles and waves excitedly when she sees me. Her perpetual smile makes me think she has something many of us are missing.

So, back to your part...

Please pray for Miss Gloria - pray for her to find some other way to make a bit of money to support her and her daughter. Life is not easy here. She cannot leave to go get a job without hiring a sitter (if she could find one) and then it would take all she might earn to pay for the sitter. That is why she opened the bar. 

EZ $...

Now a choice lays before her. I shared with her that I was not trying to offend her. She readily stated that she was not offended and would think about what else she could do instead of having the bar.

Pray that God honors her intention to close the bar and shows her in a very personal way that He is Jehovah Jireh, her Provider.

May God bless you as you pray for Gloria.

~ Ray & Becki